Contains spoilers for this episode and earlier episodes.
Gang-tae stays with Moon-young through the night and takes time off to look after her the next day. Sang-in tries to persuade her to leave the mansion, while memories of her mother's orders make even cutting her hair difficult. The hospital suspends her literature class after the confrontation with Eun-ja. Director Oh tells Gang-tae that Moon-young's mother disappeared and was legally declared dead years later, leaving the circumstances unresolved. Eun-ja, meanwhile, describes the expensive shawl her daughter bought before their final argument and the accident that killed her. The object she keeps wearing is bound to a conversation she can no longer repair.
Gang-tae gives Moon-young Mang-tae, the small doll he made to catch Sang-tae's nightmares. A conversation with his brother then changes his understanding of their mother: the restaurant she took them to served Gang-tae's favorite food. He recalls her care as well as the hurt he has carried. When Eun-ja apologizes to Moon-young, Moon-young takes the shawl as compensation. Gang-tae connects this exchange to The Cheerful Dog, whose leash has stayed on so long that it has forgotten how to leave. Moon-young finally cuts her hair herself. Gang-tae tidies the uneven ends and tells her she looks pretty, giving her a reason to smile at the mirror.